1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of processing a character in a printer capable of editing, registering and saving an inputted character string (or character sequence), as well as to a tape printer adopting the character processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional tape printer includes an editing operation area for storing one of inputted text data (a character string) and performing an editing operation of the stored text data, and a registration area for storing about one to one hundred text data which are inputted for the purpose of future retrieval for editing or usage thereof, collectively referred to as an editing storage area.
Moreover, since text data editing is performed in the editing operation area, upon retrieving (editing) the text data stored in the registration area, the retrieved text data are overwritten (saved) in the editing operation area. For this reason, text data previously stored in the editing operation area, i.e. the text data in the process of editing, are deleted in the conventional tape printer. If a user wishes to use the text data in the process of editing afterwards, the user had to register and save the text data existing in the editing operation area into the registration area, and then retrieve the text data in the registration area again.
Furthermore, since the retrieved text data are overwritten in the editing operation area, a storage area for storing at least N+1 pieces of text data is required for processing N pieces of text data. For this reason, in order to process N pieces of text data, the conventional tape printer is provided with a storage area within the editing storage area which is for storing at least N+1 pieces of text data.
It is important to use the storage area more efficiently in the case of a tape printer having a very limitedly available storage area like ones which are not connected to external devices such as a personal computer. Specifically, in the case where the tape printer cannot secure a sufficient registration area so that the tape printer can only secure the storage area for registering and saving only one piece of the inputted text data, a new method of utilizing the storage area is required apart from the relevant method in the conventional tape printer. In this case, the tape printer is supposed to have the storage area which can store two pieces of text data in the combined use of the editing operation area and the registration area. However, in the conventional method of processing text data for a tape printer, when the user wishes to edit the text data stored in the registration area, the text data retrieved from the registration area are overwritten in the editing operation area, whereby the text data so far in the process of editing are deleted. Accordingly, the conventional method can practically deal with only one piece of the text data. In other words, if the conventional method of processing text data is used in the case where the tape printer can secure the storage area for registering and saving only one piece of the inputted text data, the method substantially degrades convenience of the user because the text data in process of editing are deleted every time when the user retrieves other text data registered and saved therein.